Are you wet footing the last week of May? May 26-June 1, Little Indian Souix River North to Moose River North.

This will be the group’s second trip. Last trip was two years ago in late June. Starting to look into how cold the day, night, and water temps will be... more experienced paddlers, what do you think? We are all set up for wet footing...

You’ll be fine wet-footing. Just bring some warm and cozy camp socks and shoes. I’m sure you know this, but, wool socks is the key to wet footing and staying warm. Have a great trip!

Tony

Always try not to get wet feet... haven’t succeed in 50 years!

We’ll be on the water May 31-June 7 and will be wet footing. The water will be fairly cold still, but hopefully you’ll only be in knee deep and shallower water while wet footing! I’ll second the suggestion for wool socks! Makes a big difference.

We always wear Muck boots in the early season. It is nice to have dry feet all day long, especially when the weather and water are ice cold and you are traveling 8+ hours a day. I also tend to get bad blisters when going multiple miles over portages with wet wrinkly feet.

All depends on the general weather of my trip. If it's reasonable warm then wet foot ( Keen Voyagers)with a change of socks and running shoes for camp. Cool weather= Muck Wetlands.

I wet foot with wool socks. My wife loves her Muck boots.

Yikes! wet-footing in cold waters of May. I'd be wearing Chota Waders. Feet will get wet but neoprene maintains comfortable body temp. (That's why scuba diver's wear neoprene.) Pair with an oversized, comfy, draining boot or shoe like OTB Odins.
A simple pair of neoprene socks will help with regulating feet warmth but don't expect absolute waterproofness. I have lost faith in so-called "waterproof" socks. Besides, hiking or trekking feet will sweat in neoprene, so you end up with wet feet anyway.
Another fan of SmartWool socks, here. No-itch and happy feet. Totally worth the investment.

I like having my feet dry in May

I like having dry feet all the time. 10 inch muck boots for me no matter what time of year.

Doesn't apply to river trips. Only portage trips.

I used to use Teva's almost exclusively (we've always gone in mid-May), in and out of the boat etc. Feet would get cold and sunburned, but I never seemed to mind. Thick wool socks under my Teva's at camp. Sometimes, real shoes. We entered the day the ice went out last year, for which, I bought a pair of Lacrosse knee high boots. They are awesome, especially slogging through muddy portages. I look forward to using those again this year.

For those of you recommending wool socks, I assume you mean *while* you are wet footing, not just once you're done?

TheGreatIndoors: "I used to use Teva's almost exclusively (we've always gone in mid-May), in and out of the boat etc. Feet would get cold and sunburned, but I never seemed to mind. Thick wool socks under my Teva's at camp. Sometimes, real shoes. We entered the day the ice went out last year, for which, I bought a pair of Lacrosse knee high boots. They are awesome, especially slogging through muddy portages. I look forward to using those again this year.

For those of you recommending wool socks, I assume you mean *while* you are wet footing, not just once you're done?"

Yes

I'm entering this weekend and since many of the lakes have ice on them as of this morning, Chota Hippies for me!

I hate having wet feet so much that I still have an aluminum canoe, so I don't have to.

In the spring I just wear my 17" high muck boots. They work great for soggy portages and wet transitions.

TheGreatIndoors: "I used to use Teva's almost exclusively (we've always gone in mid-May), in and out of the boat etc. Feet would get cold and sunburned, but I never seemed to mind. Thick wool socks under my Teva's at camp. Sometimes, real shoes. We entered the day the ice went out last year, for which, I bought a pair of Lacrosse knee high boots. They are awesome, especially slogging through muddy portages. I look forward to using those again this year.

For those of you recommending wool socks, I assume you mean *while* you are wet footing, not just once you're done?"

Y
+1 I buy me one size large and wear the heaviest wool sock I can find

Wool. socks; one thick and course, 3 more with high % wool. 70% or more. Dry mocs at camp. We trip same time of year. Hang to dry at every opportunity.

Lots of good advice. Seems like most are wet.

Wool socks for sure. I like the Darn Tough more than SmartWool.

I wet foot. Tried the CHota Hippies two years and they just don't make them the right size for me (14). Last year I ended up losing both of my big toe nails on a heavy portage trip and the pain sucked. We are going in next Friday (Stanton Bay) and wet foot it is... Neoprene socks under smart wool and my feet may be wet, but not TOO cold, and they warm up pretty fast.

I wet foot with wool socks and Chota boots if it's warm, and dry foot by putting Hippies on when it's cold

TheGreatIndoors: "I used to use Teva's almost exclusively (we've always gone in mid-May), in and out of the boat etc. Feet would get cold and sunburned, but I never seemed to mind. Thick wool socks under my Teva's at camp. Sometimes, real shoes. We entered the day the ice went out last year, for which, I bought a pair of Lacrosse knee high boots. They are awesome, especially slogging through muddy portages. I look forward to using those again this year.

For those of you recommending wool socks, I assume you mean *while* you are wet footing, not just once you're done?"

Yeah, a good pair of wool socks will keep your feet from getting too cold in May while wet footing. They still retain thermal properties when wet, and at least for me, they don’t rub my feet raw on all of the portage trails. I used to do the dry foot in the shoulder seasons, but I kept stepping in over the top of my LaCrosse rubber/neoprene “muck” boot. Then I had wet feet anyway so I just gave up the ghost. If I wasn’t such a baby about making sure my Kevlar canoe stays nice, the dry foot technique would probably work for me. I just always venture out into the deeper stuff to protect the canoe.

Tony

agrippando: "...Seems like most are wet....."

Not how I read it. Stay dry. Stay warm. IMO

agrippando: "Are you wet footing the last week of May? May 26-June 1, Little Indian Souix River North to Moose River North.

This will be the group’s second trip. Last trip was two years ago in late June. Starting to look into how cold the day, night, and water temps will be... more experienced paddlers, what do you think? We are all set up for wet footing..."

We go mid-may every year and I always wet foot (chacos with socks (if needed)), but our group seems to always have a few guys who are going to "stay dry". They end up doing the "rock ballet" every portage and inevitably they get their feet wet at some point during the first day. And since they didn't plan on their boots getting wet they are left with soggy, wet, heavy boots the rest of the trip.

As others have said, plan to wet foot and prepare accordingly. Wigwam Wool, Darn Tough or Smartwool socks will do the trick. If it is cold, keep your core insulated with layers, were a hat, and your feet will be fine if you have the right socks. It isn't super comfortable if the weather is cold, but it is far more convenient and your canoes will appreciate it. Get to camp and put on some warm, dry socks, it's a great feeling after a day of wet footing.

I always planned on wet feet. Tip toeing through the tulips just isn’t my style. I had the blister problems too until I got cool max sock liners. They help in many ways... yellowcanoe told me that and she’s been my friend ever since. Haha. I have the Chota knee socks. But I can’t not go in deep if the adventure dictates I do that. Never been very cold because of it. I remember kanoes saying he had to dip his trekkers in the lake in the morning to thaw them out. Once you learn to deal with wet feet and such you will not ever worry about it again. Muck boots work... sometimes. For me they work better at keeping water in. Haha. Just have a good way to have warm dry feet in camp.

Another vote for La Crosse knee highs in early or late season.

Wet footing is okay if you have to and, as mentioned, you have the right socks on. But I have a pair of waterproof boots, off brand similar to Muck that are calf high. With a little care to make sure you aren't stepping out above the top of the boots, they have proven to work great and keep my feet in warm dry comfort. Mine are also comfortable to portage in with decent support. On those wet spring portages I don't need to skirt the mudholes or puddles, just slog right on through them. They have been a bit of a game changer for me, wouldn't leave them home for shoulder season trips.

I kind of envy you that can wear Muck Boots, or any of their similar cousins. Blisters, overheated feet, cranky ankles - I just can't do them. I also can't stand watching or doing rock ballet, so I just wet foot it. In fact, I prefer to just start the trip and/or day out by stepping in the water so it's over and done with and I have no reason to try and keep my feet dry.

Some decent water shoes (like Solomon Techamphibians) and neoprene socks have worked just fine for me. I don't really recall ever having cold feet in late May / early June with this configuration. I prefer it over looking for shallow landing spots and trying to dodge mud puddles on portages.

I considered buying some wet foot boots but I'm having a hard time justifying it. I have an aluminum canoe so I don't mind getting in close. I'm also fairly young and don't mind rock hopping to keep my feet dry. I decided to just buy some waterproof boots and attempt to keep out of water that would go over my ankles.

Keep in mind that half the reason for not walking through the puddles in the path is so my feet aren't weighed down with the mud. Getting wet is only part of it. The weight of the water is an issue too. I'm just going to get out on the rocks to keep my feet light and dry. If I do need to get my feet wet then so be it, I can take a second to drain them after.

Plus, my camp shoes are crocks so I can just toss those on when I plan on walking in the water. Like when visiting a waterfall.

AmarilloJim: "
I wet foot with wool socks. My wife loves her Muck boots."

Nice Astrals Jim! I love my Meshes and they drain so well and dry out so quickly that my feet almost never _feel_ wet. I wear thin liner socks with mine but I may try some thicker socks this year just because I have them. I prefer the quick drying though.

I wetfooted during my 9 day trip starting June 1 last year, in deep cold lakes like Knife and Kekekabic, with no issue. If your feet dry quickly, there is really no problem. I find wetfooting a lot safer and more convenient than trying to find the perfect spot to get out, on wobbly rocks more often than not. Again, if your feet dry quickly, then there's really no reason not to. My shoes don't retain water so I'm not walking on a wet squishy layer. Some shoes are slippery on the inside when you get them wet (like walking on wet flip flops) which is dangerous because your foot can slide inside your shoe - a definite no-no. I suspect this could be fixed with a different insole, if your shoes/boots exhibit this behavior. But, if you get quick draining, quick drying shoes, like my Astral Mesh Ms, your feet will almost never feel wet. They always dried overnight and I had a separate pair of camp shoes, and a nice comfy pair of wool socks to wear with them. I NEVER had a single complaint about my feet on that trip, not one. I am extremely satisfied with my Astrals as was my friend.

Your profile doesn’t say where you are from, but a week before you go, go out to a nearby lake or creek walk around in the water for a few minutes then walk a couple hundred yards get back in the water for a minute then sit in a chair for half an hour. If your comfortable after that wet foot, if not get a pair of mucks. I have circulation problems so would be miserable wet footing, others are different. 40 years ago i always wet footed it’s hell to get old.

I really hate wet feet...so several years ago, I started wearing Chota Hippies, and Trekkers.
When the Hippies started leaking after a few seasons, I switched to waist high wader pants.
Problem solved. Most often I trip in the shoulder seasons, unless I'm guiding, so the "breathable" wader don't get too sweaty.

Mooseplums, Where do you get your wader pants, and which ones do you use? Do you just wear them instead of pants?

I have always wet footed. If the spring I were neoprene socks. The put merino wool socks on in camp. I purchased a merino wool sweater on sale a while ago and it turned me into a merino wool snob.

mgraber: "Mooseplums, Where do you get your wader pants, and which ones do you use? Do you just wear them instead of pants?"

Cabelas, breathable waist high waders....I wear pants or short under them. They also double as rain pants.

Heading in June 5th. I prefer to wetfoot and probably will this year. I have done many trips in May in the past and would wear muck boots. If the water is cold, I wear smart wool socks and Keen Arroyos....ditch the socks when the water is tolerable. Wet feet don't bother me. Clunky boots or waders limit what I like to do. Feet eventually dry out.

If tripping in early May just after ice out, I wear Chota Hippies with well-draining high top water shoes. If later in May, I usually just wet foot with wool sox in water shoes.

I do love my Muck boots, but don't use them for trips with lots of portaging as they seem to give me hot spots if I am walking multiple portages. I wear them when I am only going in a lake or two in cold weather.

Making my first trip ever in about a week and definitely have not figured out a good plan for the feet issue. Seems like a lot of different ideas on how to handle wet feet.

Most of my trips and the best ones have been during the shoulder seasons. I have never tried to dry foot it....time consuming IMO. I use seal skin dry socks and keen hikers. I always make sure to have a pack towel, dry socks and dry shoes at the top of my pack. First thing upon getting all gear hauled into camp is to change shoes and set up camp. Relax and enjoy ;)

I have always wet-footed due to the fact that we travel a lot and always find portages way too deep for boots. Once the inside of boots are wet, might as well just wear good sandals. I learned long ago to wear a good pair of wool socks in my sandals. I always carry a pair of dry socks and hiking shoes for camp because I do enjoy warm, dry feet at the end of the day.

I wear my OTB's with Wool OTC socks...then I dont really care if my feet get wet... dry in about a half hour... crocs for camp shoes... all seems to be good but only have done this once befre. Its also why I will do it again... :)

I have given up on keeping my feet dry. Thankfully I don't have any issue with cold feet so I just wear Keen sandles and no socks. Keep my keen boots and wool socks at the top of my bag should they get cold.

Wet foot, no wool socks all day long on any portage trip. My feet would sweat in muck boots and that's not a comfortable feeling me. I've never had any problems wet footing and it's nice not having to think about keeping my feet dry all put ins and take outs.

Just got back in after 6 days on the water. We wet footed and had no issues, even on the colder days.

Another great trip in the books! Anyone looking for good shoes, check out the Merrell Choprocks. Couple of us had them and we’re very impressed with their traction.

agrippando: "Anyone looking for good shoes, check out the Merrell Choprocks."

No sandals for this guy. I know those who wear sandals for portaging will argue, but I think it’s irresponsible to yourself and to your crew to risk foot injury when you have better options for foot protection. For the $100 or so that the Choprocks and similar sandals cost, you can get decent portaging boots. Save the sandals for camp. There’s risk wearing sandals in camp, too, but the risk on a portage trail is far, far greater.

agrippando: "Just got back in after 6 days on the water. We wet footed and had no issues, even on the colder days.


Another great trip in the books! Anyone looking for good shoes, check out the Merrell Choprocks. Couple of us had them and we’re very impressed with their traction."

Just curious if the laces on these are actual laces or the bungy cord style? I've got many years on my Salomon Techamphibian's and need something new for this season but prefer the tension of a solid lace.

Jackfish: "

agrippando: "Anyone looking for good shoes, check out the Merrell Choprocks."

No sandals for this guy. I know those who wear sandals for portaging will argue, but I think it’s irresponsible to yourself and to your crew to risk foot injury when you have better options for foot protection. For the $100 or so that the Choprocks and similar sandals cost, you can get decent portaging boots. Save the sandals for camp. There’s risk wearing sandals in camp, too, but the risk on a portage trail is far, far greater. "

My opinion is that you have to know yourself and use what gives you the best feel of the terrain. Personally I've portaged/hiked hundreds of miles in these types of shoes and have never felt the need for a boot. It's also not that I don't have boots as there are several I could take in the closet, its just that I get a much better connection to the ground and sense of balance with a lighter shoe. Same as roofing a house for me, take off the boots and put on the tennis shoes, its all about feel.

This is also more of a shoe, I wouldn't use a sandal either which to me is something with an open toe or heel.

Jasonf: "

agrippando: "Just got back in after 6 days on the water. We wet footed and had no issues, even on the colder days.

Another great trip in the books! Anyone looking for good shoes, check out the Merrell Choprocks. Couple of us had them and we’re very impressed with their traction."

Just curious if the laces on these are actual laces or the bungy cord style? I've got many years on my Salomon Techamphibian's and need something new for this season but prefer the tension of a solid lace. "

I hear ya. Standard lace. Held up with a double tie all week and never came undone.

Jackfish: "

agrippando: "Anyone looking for good shoes, check out the Merrell Choprocks."

No sandals for this guy. I know those who wear sandals for portaging will argue, but I think it’s irresponsible to yourself and to your crew to risk foot injury when you have better options for foot protection. For the $100 or so that the Choprocks and similar sandals cost, you can get decent portaging boots. Save the sandals for camp. There’s risk wearing sandals in camp, too, but the risk on a portage trail is far, far greater. "

Given the backpacking adage that one pound on your feet is the same as 5 on your back, one could certainly argue that heavy boots offer a greater danger of mis-stepping and causing injury, and that lighter footwear makes you more nimble and less likely to sustain an injury.

footgear weight

Jackfish: "

agrippando: "Anyone looking for good shoes, check out the Merrell Choprocks."

No sandals for this guy. I know those who wear sandals for portaging will argue, but I think it’s irresponsible to yourself and to your crew to risk foot injury when you have better options for foot protection. For the $100 or so that the Choprocks and similar sandals cost, you can get decent portaging boots. Save the sandals for camp. There’s risk wearing sandals in camp, too, but the risk on a portage trail is far, far greater. "

I just had Merrell Choprocks pop up in my facebook feed and they looked like a good option, so i did a search here to see if any bwca.comers had tried them. These don’t look like sandals at all, more like a hybrid hiking/wading/trail running shoe. Looks like a good summer trip option. There’s a standard one and a “sieve” version which lets the water run out. A lighter shoe than my wading boot with equal or better wet traction? Sounds great to me. I’d want to wear some kind of sock though, to avoid blisters. Don’t know if a regular good wool sock or a neoprene one would be the way to go, along with a shoe that’s a half or even whole size bigger.
Merrell Choprock Sieve

** Now that I look more closely, I think I like the regular Choprock because of real, normal shoelaces. Choprock

Chota Brookies or the Waders with the Chota Wading Boots. Extra pair of socks at least to keep the feet dry once i reach camp. Water usually seeps in to the boots or the feet will sweat necessitating a sock change.

Embrace the wet foot! KEEN water shoes + good wool socks, can't go wrong. Pack in some warm dry shoes for camp!

Always, wet foot with smartwool socks. Your feet will not be cold. When you get to camp remove wet socks and put on your favorite camp footwear (mine are crocs) to dry feet and socks.

Wet foot, as every year since I was 12. Wore old high tops in high school, and they got ruined by the end of a trip. Then old running shoes, when my ankles were stronger and my balance better. Did the Nike aqua socks one trip. Emphasis on one. I’ve graduated to Chota boots and waders. I have a problem keeping the waders up as the elastic just doesn’t grip enough to stay in place. As my thighs flex then relax they inevitably fall down right away. This year I’m going to use elastic alligator clips and clip them to my belt. I always wear wool socks.

Editorial, on a slightly tangential note: that said, absent a Chota or rubber boot or similar arrangement, I have never understood how one can paddle within a million acres of wilderness and water and expect to keep their feet dry. That’s like going to the Sahara and expecting to get no sand in your undies. I have witnessed LOTS of paddlers going into the water in my 40+ years of BWCA tripping, and the number one reason, by not a little bit, is people trying to get into or out of a canoe without getting their feet wet. Paddlers will bring their canoe, or quite often the outfitters canoe, up on the rocks, high centered, so their feet won’t get wet. Oh well.

Mike

Going north up LIS and knowing those portage landings im not sure how one keeps shoes dry, starting with the EP.

Always wet foot. Bring shoes for in camp, keep them dry. One of the toughest parts of long canoe trips is putting on those nasty, leech crawling wool socks in the morning. Strong coffee helps, too early for brandy. But the cold, dirty wool socks are a definite downer.

When trying to 'dry-foot', no matter how tall my boots are, they end up being 1" too short on at least 21.7% of portage access points. Which in the end = wet footing in heavy boots...….I'm a trail-running shoe wet-footer now, at least until a trip happens in early May or October.

campnfish: "Going north up LIS and knowing those portage landings im not sure how one keeps shoes dry, starting with the EP."

This is what I came to say. They may not be the worst landings in the world, but for safety's sake, you kinda need to be willing to step into the water to load/unload in this area. There are no beaches or anything nice like that.

arm2008: "I kind of envy you that can wear Muck Boots, or any of their similar cousins. Blisters, overheated feet, cranky ankles - I just can't do them. I also can't stand watching or doing rock ballet, so I just wet foot it. In fact, I prefer to just start the trip and/or day out by stepping in the water so it's over and done with and I have no reason to try and keep my feet dry."

This is the best way to go. I used to expend so much psychic energy trying to keep my feet dry. When I go with the expectation that they WILL be wet I have a much better time. The feet are cold when in the water but with wool socks they quickly regain a comfortable temp. I also like the extra cushion you get when walking with the 'squish, squish, squish'!

I have been going in the summer so yes always. No need to jump around and risk injury and beating my canoe. I considered BDUB a wet sport. I wear good socks and have a camp pair of socks and crocs.

I am what I would consider to be an amateur to the BWCA having been up there only a handful of times (although have 3 trips planned this year-hopefully). I wet-foot as I need the additional support a good trail/running shoe provides on the portages.
With that said--does anyone on here have a preferred wool sock brand (i.e., Darn Tough, Smartwool)? Is there a recommended minimum % of wool? I realize this is most likely a personal preference/seasonality consideration but I value the opinion of more veteran BWCA goers.

Bumstead: "When trying to 'dry-foot', no matter how tall my boots are, they end up being 1" too short on at least 21.7% of portage access points. Which in the end = wet footing in heavy boots...….I'm a trail-running shoe wet-footer now, at least until a trip happens in early May or October.
"

That's exactly what I'm afraid of. I think I will just continue to wet foot.